Housing
| Bills | Committee | Last action | Date |
| HB 1411 - Marshall - Virginia Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and Program; codifies Fund, etc. | (H) Committee on Appropriations (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0639) | 03/26/23 |
| notes: Codifies the Virginia Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (the Fund), originally created in the 2021 Appropriation Act, and establishes the Virginia Community Development Financial Institutions Program (the Program) to carry out the purposes of the Fund. The Program shall provide grants and loans to community development financial institutions and other similar entities for the purpose of providing financing to small businesses, housing development and rehabilitation projects, and community revitalization real estate projects in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to oversee the Fund and Program and to (i) identify qualified recipients of funding; (ii) ensure that grants and loans promote housing and community development, capital access, housing access, and small business support; and (iii) utilize Program funds to promote collaborative and cooperative projects with public and private sector partners. The bill requires the Department to submit an annual report on the use and impact of funding provided. | |||
| HB 1413 - Marshall - Industrial development authorities; safe and affordable housing, etc. | (H) Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns | (H) Left in Counties, Cities and Towns | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Allows an industrial development authority to promote safe and affordable housing with respect to facilities used primarily for single or multifamily residences regardless of the activation status of the housing authority in such industrial development authority's locality. | |||
| HB 1532 - Clark - Rent stabilization, local; any locality may by ordinance adopt provisions. | (H) Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns | (H) Left in Counties, Cities and Towns | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt rent stabilization provisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing prior to the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlords who are under rent stabilization may be required to give up to a two-month written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's rent stabilization allowance, described in the bill as the maximum amount a landlord can increase a tenant's rent during any 12-month period, in effect at the time of the increase. The bill sets such allowance as equal to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index for the region in which the locality sits, states that such allowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year, and requires the locality to annually by June 1 publish such allowance on its website. Certain facilities, as outlined in the bill, are exempt from any such ordinance. The bill also requires such ordinance to provide a procedure by which a landlord may apply for an exemption from the rent stabilization provisions in situations where the net operating income generated by the rental facility has not been maintained due to escalating operating expenses or for other appropriate reasons as established by the locality. Finally, the bill provides that a locality may establish a civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set out in the ordinance that shall not exceed $2,500 per separate violation. | |||
| HB 1542 - Campbell, J.L. - Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; security deposits. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0433) | 03/23/23 |
| notes: Increases from 15 to 30 days the additional time period that a landlord has to provide a tenant with an itemization of damages to the premises and the cost of repair when such damages exceed the amount of the tenant's security deposit and require the services of a third-party contractor. The bill sunsets on June 30, 2024. | |||
| HB 1614 - Williams Graves - Housing authorities; common household pets. | (H) Committee on General Laws | (H) Left in General Laws | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Requires each housing authority to permit tenants to own or maintain one or more common household pets, as defined in the bill, subject to applicable state and federal law and regulations and certain reasonable conditions outlined in the bill. As defined, "common household pet" does not include an assistance animal or any animal prohibited by a local ordinance regulating the keeping of animals or fowl, other than dogs or cats, within a certain distance of residences or other buildings or structures. | |||
| HB 1725 - VanValkenburg - Virginia Fair Housing Law; use of assistance animal in a dwelling, penalties. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0439) | 03/23/23 |
| notes: Prohibits certain persons from providing fraudulent supporting documentation to evince the existence of a disability or disability-related need for a person requesting a reasonable accommodation with respect to the use of an assistance animal in a dwelling. The bill adds a violation of such prohibition as a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. | |||
| HB 1771 - Willett - Landlords, participating; increases tax credit that may be issued. | (H) Committee on Finance | (H) Left in Finance | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Increases from $250,000 to $1 million the maximum amount of tax credits that may be issued to participating landlords, as defined in relevant law, each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2024 and provides that, in the event that the amount of the qualified requests for tax credits for such participating landlords in the fiscal year exceeds $1 million, the Department of Housing and Community Development will prorate the tax credits among the qualified applicants. | |||
| HB 1805 - Bloxom - Virginia Resources Authority; community development and housing projects. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0440) | 03/23/23 |
| notes: Adds community development projects related to the production and preservation of housing, including housing for persons and families of low and moderate income, to those projects that the Virginia Resources Authority may finance. The bill directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to assist the Authority with determining which local governments are to receive grants from the Authority for such projects. | |||
| HB 2045 - Carr - Zoning for Housing Production Act; created, sunset provision. | (H) Committee on Appropriations | (H) Tabled in Appropriations (12-Y 9-N) | 02/03/23 |
| notes: Creates, within the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Zoning for Housing Production Act, which establishes a special nonreverting fund in the state treasury to be known as the Zoning for Housing Production Fund. The bill requires moneys from the Fund to be awarded as grants to localities by application to the Department for the purpose of creating and maintaining affordable housing in mixed-income communities, defined in the bill. To be eligible for a grant from the Fund, a locality is required to make a change to such locality's zoning ordinance in accordance with the requirements of the bill. The provisions of the bill expire on July 1, 2029. | |||
| HB 2046 - Carr - DHCD; powers and duties of Director, statewide housing needs assessment and plan, report. | (H) Committee on Appropriations (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0715) | 03/27/23 |
| notes: Adds to the powers and duties of the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development (the Department) the responsibility to conduct a comprehensive statewide housing needs assessment at least every five years, to develop a statewide housing plan and update such plan at least every five years, to provide annual updates to the General Assembly regarding meeting the goals of such plan, and to collect and publish certain zoning information collected from Virginia localities. The bill requires localities to respond to inquiries of the Department regarding the collection of such zoning information upon request. | |||
| HB 2047 - Carr - Affordable housing; amending local zoning ordinance authority. | (H) Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns | (H) Left in Counties, Cities and Towns | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Authorizes any locality in the Commonwealth to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program by amending the zoning ordinance of such locality. Current law restricts such authorization to counties with an urban county executive form of government or county manager plan of government and certain other localities. The bill also requires the comprehensive plan of each locality to show the connection between affordable housing and other needs of its residents, such as job creation, educational opportunities, and parks and recreational activities. | |||
| HB 2048 - Carr - Economically mixed projects; VHDA financial projects. | (H) Committee on General Laws | (H) Left in General Laws | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Provides that in any economically mixed project financed through the Virginia Housing Development Authority, at least 20 percent of the units must be held available for occupancy by persons and families earning 80 percent or less of the area median income, and the rent charged for such units shall be at least 10 percent below the rents of unrestricted units in the project. Economically mixed projects located in a locality with a population no greater than 35,000 as determined by the most recent U.S. census shall not be required to limit the rent charged for such units to at least 10 percent below the rents of unrestricted units in the project. | |||
| HB 2099 - Bulova - Livable home; increases allowable tax credit. | (H) Committee on Appropriations (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0444) | 03/23/23 |
| notes: Increases from $1 million to $2 million, beginning in fiscal year 2024, the aggregate cap of tax credits allowed by the livable home tax credit in a fiscal year. The bill increases from $500,000 to $1 million, beginning in fiscal year 2024, the amount of credits allocated by the Department of Housing and Community Development to each of (i) the purchase or construction of new residences and (ii) the retrofitting and renovation of existing residences. The bill also increases from $5,000 to $6,500, beginning in taxable year 2023, the maximum amount of livable home tax credits an individual may claim in a taxable year. | |||
| HB 2100 - Hudson - Accessory dwelling units; establishes authority & requirements for localities in development & use. | (H) Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns | (H) Left in Counties, Cities and Towns | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Establishes authority and requirements for localities in the development and use of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). An ADU is defined in the bill as an independent dwelling unit on a single-family dwelling (SFD) lot with its own living, bathroom, and kitchen space. An ADU may be within or attached to an SFD or in a detached structure on a lot containing an SFD. An ADU may include, but is not limited to, basements, attics, flats, guest houses, cottages, and converted structures such as garages and sheds. The bill specifies that an ADU is not permitted in cases where it would violate historic preservation rules, deed restrictions, or property owners' association rules. | |||
| HJ 490 - VanValkenburg - Affordable housing; DHCD to study ways to increase options for public servants, etc. | (H) Committee on Rules | (H) Left in Rules | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Requests the Department of Housing and Community Development to study ways to increase affordable housing options for public servants on publicly owned property. | |||
| HJ 498 - Carr - Constitutional amendment; exemption of property owned and occupied by persons of low income, etc. | (H) Committee on Privileges and Elections | (H) Left in Privileges and Elections | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Amends the Constitution of Virginia by providing that the General Assembly may by general law authorize the governing body of any county, city, town, or regional government to provide for the exemption from local real property taxation, or a portion thereof, within such restrictions and upon such conditions as may be prescribed, of real estate owned and occupied by persons of low income or low financial worth. | |||
| HJ 507 - Marshall - Affordable and workforce housing; Va. Housing Commission, et al., to study local regulation. | (H) Committee on Rules | (H) Left in Rules | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Directs the Virginia Housing Commission, in consultation with the Department of Housing and Community Development and representatives of the Governor's office, to develop recommended revisions to Chapter 22 (§ 15.2-2200 et seq.) of Title 15.2 of the Code of Virginia to (i) streamline and enhance predictability in local development review processes and (ii) alleviate the effects of local policies or ordinances that contribute to increased housing costs and constrain the supply of affordable and workforce housing. | |||
| HJ 529 - Guzman - Affordable housing; DHCD to study ways to increase options for public servants, etc. | (H) Committee on Rules | (H) Left in Rules | 02/07/23 |
| notes: Requests the Department of Housing and Community Development, in collaboration with the Virginia Housing Development Authority, to study ways to increase affordable housing options for public servants on publicly owned property. | |||
| SB 839 - Locke - DHCD; powers and duties of Director, statewide housing needs assessment and plan, report. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0716) | 03/27/23 |
| notes: Adds to the powers and duties of the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development (the Department) the responsibility to conduct a comprehensive statewide housing needs assessment at least every five years, to develop a statewide housing plan and update such plan at least every five years, to provide annual updates to the General Assembly regarding meeting the goals of such plan, and to collect and publish certain zoning information collected from Virginia localities. The bill requires localities to respond to inquiries of the Department regarding the collection of such zoning information upon request. | |||
| SB 891 - Bell - Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; security deposits. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0434) | 03/23/23 |
| SB 949 - Petersen - C-PACE loans; residential dwellings and condominiums. | (S) Committee on Local Government | (S) Passed by indefinitely in Local Government (15-Y 0-N) | 01/30/23 |
| notes: Removes an exclusion for residential dwellings with fewer than five dwelling units and condominium projects from certain requirements related to a voluntary special assessment lien that secures a loan for the initial acquisition and installation of clean energy, resiliency, or stormwater management improvements. | |||
| SB 1049 - McPike - Affordable housing initiatives; VHDA to report on statewide housing needs assessment & plan. | (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (S) Incorporated by General Laws and Technology (SB839-Locke) (14-Y 0-N) | 01/18/23 |
| notes: Directs the Virginia Housing Development Authority (HDA) to annually report to the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations and House Committee on Appropriations and the Virginia Housing Commission certain information regarding the current Resources Enabling Affordable Community Housing program or any future program that reinvests HDA's net earnings into affordable housing initiatives. The bill adds to the powers and duties of the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development (the Department) the responsibility to conduct a comprehensive statewide housing needs assessment at least every five years, to develop a statewide housing plan and update such plan at least every five years, to provide annual updates to the General Assembly regarding meeting the goals of such plan, and to collect and publish certain zoning information collected from Virginia localities. The bill requires localities to respond to inquiries of the Department regarding the collection of such zoning information upon request. | |||
| SB 1114 - Stanley - Housing and Community Development, Department of; powers and duties of the Director. | (H) Committee on Appropriations (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0445) | 03/23/23 |
| notes: Instructs the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop and operate a Virginia Residential Sites and Structures Locator database to assist localities in marketing publicly owned, privately owned, or publicly and privately owned structures and parcels determined by the locality to be suitable for residential or mixed-use development or redevelopment when the owner or owners have authorized the locality to market the structure or parcels for residential or mixed-use development or redevelopment. | |||
| SB 1141 - McPike - Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority, comprehensive plan. | (H) Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns (S) Committee on Local Government | (H) Left in Counties, Cities and Towns | 02/22/23 |
| notes: Authorizes any locality in the Commonwealth to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program by amending the zoning ordinance of such locality. Current law restricts such authorization to counties with an urban county executive form of government or county manager plan of government and certain other localities. | |||
| SB 1190 - Ebbin - Housing and Community Development, Department of; powers and duties of Director. | (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (S) Incorporated by General Laws and Technology (SB839-Locke) (14-Y 0-N) | 01/18/23 |
| notes: Adds to the powers and duties of the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development (the Department) the responsibility to conduct a comprehensive statewide affordable housing needs assessment every five years, to develop a biennial statewide affordable housing plan and submit such plan to the General Assembly every two years, and to collect and publish certain zoning information collected from Virginia localities. The bill requires localities to respond to inquiries of the Department regarding the collection of such zoning information upon request. | |||
| SB 1278 - Boysko - Rent stabilization authority, local; civil penalty. | (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (S) Passed by indefinitely in General Laws and Technology with letter (9-Y 5-N) | 01/18/23 |
| notes: Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt rent stabilization provisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing prior to the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlords who are under rent stabilization may be required to give up to a two-month written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent by more than the locality's rent stabilization allowance, described in the bill as the maximum amount a landlord can increase a tenant's rent during any 12-month period, in effect at the time of the increase. The bill sets such allowance as equal to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index for the region in which the locality sits, states that such allowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year, and requires the locality to annually by June 1 publish such allowance on its website. Certain facilities, as outlined in the bill, are exempt from any such ordinance. The bill also requires such ordinance to provide a procedure by which a landlord may apply for an exemption from the rent stabilization provisions in situations where the net operating income generated by the rental facility has not been maintained due to escalating operating expenses or for other appropriate reasons as established by the locality. Finally, the bill provides that a locality may establish a civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set out in the ordinance that shall not exceed $2,500 per separate violation. | |||
| SB 1320 - McClellan - Virginia Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and Program; codifies Fund, etc. | (H) Committee on Appropriations (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0640) | 03/26/23 |
| notes: Codifies the Virginia Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (the Fund), originally created in the 2021 Appropriation Act, and establishes the Virginia Community Development Financial Institutions Program (the Program) to carry out the purposes of the Fund. The Program shall provide grants and loans to community development financial institutions and other similar entities for the purpose of providing financing to small businesses, housing development and rehabilitation projects, and community revitalization real estate projects in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to oversee the Fund and Program and to (i) identify qualified recipients of funding; (ii) ensure that grants and loans promote housing and community development, capital access, housing access, and small business support; and (iii) utilize Program funds to promote collaborative and cooperative projects with public and private sector partners. The bill requires the Department to submit an annual report on the use and impact of funding provided. | |||
| SB 1331 - McClellan - Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority, comprehensive plan. | (S) Committee on Local Government | (S) Incorporated by Local Government (SB1141-McPike) (15-Y 0-N) | 01/30/23 |
| notes: Authorizes any locality in the Commonwealth to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program by amending the zoning ordinance of such locality. Current law restricts such authorization to counties with an urban county executive form of government or county manager plan of government and certain other localities. The bill also requires the comprehensive plan of each locality to show the connection between affordable housing and other needs of its residents, such as job creation, educational opportunities, and parks and recreational activities | |||
| SB 1401 - Lewis - Virginia Resources Authority; community development and housing projects. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on Finance and Appropriations | (G) Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0441) | 03/23/23 |
| notes: Adds community development projects related to the production and preservation of housing, including housing for persons and families of low and moderate income, to those projects that the Virginia Resources Authority may finance. The bill directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to assist the Authority with determining which local governments are to receive grants from the Authority for such projects. | |||
| SB 1545 - Rouse - Furloughed federal employees & contractors; civil relief. | (H) Committee on General Laws (S) Committee on General Laws and Technology | (H) Left in General Laws | 02/22/23 |
| notes: Provides a 30-day stay of eviction and foreclosure proceedings for tenants, homeowners, and owners who rent to a tenant a one-family to four-family residential dwelling unit who request a stay and provide written proof, defined in the bill, that such tenant or homeowner is (i) an employee of the United States government, (ii) an independent contractor for the United States government, or (iii) an employee of a company under contract with the United States government who was furloughed or otherwise has not received or is not currently receiving wages or payments as a result of the partial closure of the United States government beginning on October 1, 2023. The bill contains an emergency clause. The bill has an expiration date of September 30, 2024. | |||
| SJ 247 - Hashmi - Constitutional amendment; tax exemption of property owned & occupied by persons of low income, etc. | (H) Committee on Rules (S) Committee on Privileges and Elections | (H) Left in Rules | 02/22/23 |
| notes: Amends the Constitution of Virginia by providing that the General Assembly may by general law authorize the governing body of any county, city, town, or regional government to provide for the exemption from local real property taxation, or a portion thereof, within such restrictions and upon such conditions as may be prescribed, of real estate owned and occupied by persons of low income or low financial worth. | |||